Out of tragedy, manager's UT bond forged

Photo by J. Miles Cary // Buy this photo

Student manager Andrew Haag describes what it’s like to run through the “T” before a home football game. Coach Phillip Fulmer called Haag after a tragic family accident in 1995.

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess // Buy this photo

Andrew Haag goes on to the field at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville to retrieve the football tee after a kick off.

Andrew Haag experienced the worst day of his life on the morning of Christmas Eve 1995 when a fatal head-on collision in Hendersonville, Tenn., killed his father and older brother.

The accident broke Haag's lower back and caused severe abdominal injuries, leaving him unable to walk without forearm crutches and leg braces. One of the best days of his life, though, happened almost a week later.

Haag, 8 years old at the time, lay immobile in a hospital bed when he saw his other brother who survived the accident, Eric Haag, talking on the phone across the hall. Then Andrew Haag's phone rang. His mother answered it and told him University of Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning and head coach Phillip Fulmer wanted to talk to him.

"I thought it was a joke; I was kind of in shock and didn't know what to say," Haag said. "It happened at a really (difficult) time, but for him to call was like a bright spot."

Haag was told that his mother's coworkers informed the UT Athletics Department about what happened to the family, noting they were big Tennessee fans. When Fulmer heard what happened, he decided to lift their spirits.

"I think it just touched him," said Tiffany Carpenter, public relations director for the UT Athletics Department.

Haag doesn't remember much of his conversation with Fulmer, but it spurred relationships that placed Haag in the middle of UT football as a student equipment manager.

"My brother kept in touch more with (Fulmer) before he came up to UT," said Haag. "(Eric) already knew some people in the athletic department, and he wanted to help out. So I came to know a lot of the people around the program because Eric did it. When I came up to UT, I spoke with Coach and followed in my brother's footsteps to become a student manager."

If you've been to a UT football game this year, chances are you've watched Haag on the field - not as a player but going to get the football tee after kickoff.

Haag's responsibilities, paid through a partial scholarship for second- and third-year students, include "anything and everything."

"It's not the most glamorous job," he said.

Although Haag doesn't play football, he still participates in Tennessee traditions like running through the "T."

"It's an out-of-body experience in a good way," he said. "You look up as you turn the corner of the 'T,' and there's a wall of orange. It's 10 seconds of your life, but it seems surreal."

Haag said he and another student manager do practice runs to prepare for running through the "T."

"You don't want to trip," he said. "Just run."

Next year, the man who gave Haag the chance to experience Tennessee football isn't coming back.

"It's really tough," Haag said. "You hear it in the news, 'Oh, his job is in jeopardy,' but you don't think it'll happen."

When Haag went to lunch the day Fulmer resigned, the cafeteria buzzed with the news.

"They were all talking about it," he said. "It's gonna be really sad to see him go. It's just so hard to replace the head figure … . There's more to coach Fulmer than being a coach."

Carpenter agreed. "It's just the kind of person (Fulmer) is; he just likes to try to reach out and help others."

Even though Haag faced difficulties in the past, his optimistic outlook helps him face the future.

"He's overcome so much adversity and never, ever complains," said Eric Haag. "He's more determined to succeed than anyone I've ever seen."

"There's always challenges," said Andrew Haag. "Don't get down."

Brittney Moore may be reached at 865-342-6414.